Carbon nanotubes (also herein referred to as CNTs) are very small tube-shaped structures essentially having a composition of a graphite sheet in a tubular form. Carbon nanotubes have interesting and potentially useful electrical and mechanical properties and offer potential for various uses in electronic devices. Carbon nanotubes also feature extremely high electrical conductivity, very small diameters (much less than 100 nanometers), large aspect ratios (i.e. length/diameter ratios) (greater than 1000), and a tip-surface area near the theoretical limit (the smaller the tip-surface area, the more concentrated the electric field, and the greater the field enhancement factor). These features make carbon nanotubes ideal candidates for electron field emitters, white light sources, lithium secondary batteries, hydrogen storage cells, transistors, and cathode ray tubes (CRTs).
Generally, there are three methods for manufacturing carbon nanotubes. The first method is the arc discharge method, which was first discovered and reported in an article by Sumio lijima, entitled “Helical Microtubules of Graphitic Carbon” (Nature, Vol. 354, Nov. 7, 1991, pp. 56-58). The second method is the laser ablation method, which was reported in an article by T. W. Ebbesen et al., entitled “Large-scale Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes” (Nature, Vol. 358, 1992, pp. 220). The third method is the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, which was reported in an article by W. Z. Li, entitled “Large-scale Synthesis of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes” (Science, Vol. 274, 1996, pp. 1701).
In order to use the carbon nanotubes more widely and more effectively, it is necessary to implement a controlled growth of the carbon nanotubes with desired structural parameters. An alternative method of preparing carbon nanotubes is to use a seed or template form of the CNT to be prepared and grow the CNT from the seed or template. Based on the seed or template selected, only the specific CNT would be prepared. For example, using a macrocycle of cycloparaphenylene as a template, armchair CNTs can be prepared under suitable conditions. The cycloparaphenylenes are the smallest unit of an armchair CNT and, thus, can be used as seeds or templates to prepare large quantities of carbon nanotubes having specific electronic properties. What is needed, however, is a method of making the cycloparaphenylenes. Surprisingly, the present invention meets this and other needs.